Obviously, you might find the bugs themselves! They can look vastly different based on life stage (there are 5 nymph stages and one adult stage) and whether they’ve fed recently or not. For reference, see the following bed bug life cycle image:

This bed bug life cycle photo from Stephen L. Doggett, posted with his permission, also shows the difference between the just-fed adult (top, elongated), and the not-just-fed adult next to it on the right:

Unfed first instar nymph (approx. 1 mm or 1/32″ long; taken by Sorkin and Mercurio, American Museum of Natural History):

After the bed bug bites someone and feeds for the first time, it turns red. This is the same first instar once it has fully fed (it will be larger now; taken by Sorkin and Mercurio, American Museum of Natural History):

To get an idea of the size, this is a 1st instar nymph feeding on Lou Sorkin’s finger. You can see them, but they are small:

Nymph photo from OfAlltheBeds:

More advanced instars and adults are reddish brown or brown.

Bassommeijer’s photo of an Argentinian adult bed bug in a book:

Waiting in Manhattan’s photo of an adult bed bug:

Several people have mistaken booklice for bed bug nymphs. Click here to see a comparison.

Other signs of bed bugs:

Cast skins: bed bugs cast their skin each time they grow. So you might find cast skins from a 1st instar nymph or a 5th instar nymph and the size will vary a great deal.

The following bed bug images can be enlarged for better viewing. Click on any of them, and you will be taken to the flickr page. Then click “all sizes” and then “large” to get the best view.

You might find blood stains on bed sheets or clothing you wear to bed. They can be as small as pinpricks or think streaks, or larger spotches (where a bug was squished or where a lot of blood was lost). Blood stains are not definitive signs since they can happen without bed bugs present.

Thanks to Lou Sorkin & Randy Mercurio of the AMNH, S., Bassommeijer, and Waiting in Manhattan, for allowing us access to these bed bug images which I am sure will help so many to find and identify the presence of these nasty pests in their homes.

Comments for this page are now closed. Please post a message on our Bedbugger Forums if you have questions or need support. If you have suggestions or want to share your bed bug photos, please contact me.

Your website is a godsend! We are currently going through a bedbug infestation. All this time we thought it was fleas. It’s been about two months that this has been going on. We might have picked up the pest in school. You cannot imagine what kind of psychological and physical dilemma this has brought us. Right now we are all covered in nasty red inflammations from the bites.

There was one time I noticed something on my right wrist – a very minute, red crawling creature. I didn’t know that was a bedbug which was already fat from feeding. I squashed it, but I’m afraid that didn’t get rid of the greater problem. I hope and I pray that we get this resolved ASAP!

This is the second time i am trying to clear the bugs from my room. I’ve change my mattress and pillows when it striked for the first time, used insecticide, brushed off my bed and tried to use hot wax on the bed. waited for few weeks and sprayed insecticide before i bought a new mattress and pillows. After few months it strike again and it has been a dilemma for me since.

I change my bed sheet and pillow cases more often, check on the mattress and pillow before going to bed every nite. Started to iron my pillow and mattress. I think by ironing it helps alot but it needs lot of time and patient.

does anyone know what the jurisdiction regarding landlord responsibility for pests covers in new york? i discovered bedbugs in my newly leased apartment about a month ago. the landlord (or management agency, rather) sent a pest control person to spray, but threatened that they would only pay once and now the bugs are back (despite thorough cleaning, new mattress purchase, etc.)

we moved from east 10th last year, threw all furniture out, clothes cleaned for thousands. We now live on east 29th street with all new furniture and beds and the bug have reappeared. we are holding a sample in a bottle for inspection. what is our right as a tenant? is this a lease breaker. freaking out with bugs in my bed

We can’t give legal advice and are not lawyers. In most (but not all) NYC rental situations, landlords are responsible for paying for treatment. Read our FAQ on this issue and get legal advice — even though landlords are usually responsible for treatment, I assume you’d need a lawyer’s advice regarding breaking a lease

roundtwo,

assuming your landlord is legally responsible for paying for treatment (as I said, this is true in most NYC cases but not all), then they are responsible for eradicating bed bugs, not just treating once. You can call 311 to file a complaint, an inspector will come and they must find visible evidence of bed bugs. They will then order the landlord to treat. Search for “311” on this website to read more about how it works, the pros and cons, etc.

Does anyone know what responsibility a hotel has for letting their guests know they have a problem with bedbugs? We are currently staying at the Westgate Lake Resorts in Orlando on Turkey Lake Drive. This morning I noticed little bugs and even small blood stains on the bed.

I called to ask for a manager and the lady asked what this was in regards to, and I said a “Health Concern” as she was handing the phone to a manager, I heard her say another case of Bedbugs.

Hi Debbie,
A number of possibilities exist, which you may want to consider:

Some people call the local health department, to alert them.
Some people go to http://bedbugregistry.com and file a report to warn others.
Some people go to http://tripadvisor.com and post a review to warn others.
Some people call a lawyer and pursue legal action.

You need to take steps once exposed to make sure you do not bring them home, which is when the real nightmare begins. See the relevant FAQs under:http://bedbugger.com/faqs/travel

As far as the hotel’s responsibility is concerned, treatment is all they can do. I’ve stayed in numerous resorts and hotels throughout the country and all they can do is treat the areas affected.

Besides, bed bugs don’t spread diseases. Mosquito bites are more dangerous, lol. There was pesticide that was used that would kill them off called DDT and that’s been banned from the states (caused cancer).

ANYWAYS, when affected areas are treated properly by a licensed PCO (Pest Control Operator) which I’m sure they have, no real serious concern is present.

Also, I searched and found no repeat cases involving Westgate Resorts. In fact, they have numerous reviews by various websites on their superb level in cleanliness of rooms. So there is no real case.

I am intrigued that you would take the time to research another commenter’s hotel in order to declare it bed bug-free for her.

Besides treating for bed bugs which are detected, it does seem like hotels do have a responsibility to prevent infestations and learn how to inspect carefully for them. Employees need to be specially trained for this.

Some hotels are even using bed bug dogs to detect bed bugs in rooms.

Of course, I don’t know if Debbie really did overhear the conversation she claimed to. But if you heard such a conversation, when you called to make such a complaint, would you simply say, “Oh well, not a big deal!” Or would you be irritated as well?

It wasn’t much research because I am currently a timeshare owner and have experienced various properties throughout via the exchange program. Timeshare properties such as Westgate have extensive programs when it comes to cleanliness and maintenance of rooms. That is why I am able to comment securely based on my experiences. As a long term timeshare owner, I don’t find it right to bad-mouth a specific property for a one time incident.

I’m sure there have been other instances, but lets be real, things happen even in the best places!

If I heard the comment, of course I would question! Now if the place I’m staying at make every effort to accomodate me, that is more than enough compensation for me or anybody.

You don’t seem very convinced ‘nobugsonme’. Either that, or we both have too much time on our hands to be back and forth on an online comment screen…

My point stands. If Debbie heard an employee say, “Another case of bed bugs,” then that is evidence of a problem. Not a “this could happen anywhere” problem, but a “this should not be happening” problem.

If I seemed skeptical about your motivations, it’s because reps from companies often comment here pretending to be satisfied customers.

I am glad you are a satisfied customer, but it’s pretty surprising that you surfed in here, since you have no reason to be reading a bed bug website except that it mentions a company you do business with. That’s all I am saying.

When flying on Virgin Air in coach (the first time), we had bites on us by the time we landed! Now, WHENEVER I fly, I have a pump spray bottle of DEET which I use liberally on the seat, then put my heavy leather coat on the seat, THEN sit. I don’t get bitten when I fly anymore!

I don’t know if it was bedbugs or what, but they were definitely tiny biting bugs!

Here in L.A., the Housing Department or Department of Health will take calls if your apartment has any health and safety issues. Most apartments need to be sprayed or bombed for roaches and carpet beetles, but letting the manager know about bedbugs or any other pests will help the fumigators to select the right potion for your building!

Thanks for the photos, and this site. It’s a major problem everywhere!

In this age of terrorism, I don’t think it is good idea to carry anything onto a plane and start spraying it. We’ve heard DEET does not really repel bed bugs anyway, at least not for long.

It is unlikely that your behavior on subsequent flights prevented bugs from biting you–there probably just weren’t any on the subsequent flights.

Moreover, most people do not notice bed bug bites when they happen or immediately after. Often it takes hours or even days. Bed bug bites appearing during or by the end of a flight could have easily occurred the night before.

Just so you guys know, it is possible to feel bed bugs as they bite. I experiene this for about 95% of bites I get… I cannot sleep while they are biting me, as it is an annoying boring/ pain and incredible itching right after… If I am asleep I don’t feel anything, but if I am awake I feel it right away… And yes, I do know it is bed bugs biting me, I have caught a few and identified them. I got sprayed on April 3rd, but I think I found either a dead one or a cast skin, I’m not sure, so I am afraid they are still mobile/ alive, some of them…. Will this nightmare never end????!!!!! I even got a few large swellings from two of the bites, some sort of reaction… (before the spraying) but I’m okay. Had to throw out most of my furniture, even my bed… replaced it, but I am afraid they may have gotten into the new one, it wasn’t sealed well, and cat’s claws make holes in plastic when they knead… tried to pad the mattress so this wouldn’t happen, but not successful. Sigh… cannot afford a new bed, trying to keep this one… will get sprayed again around the 17th… Hopefully I will finally be rid of them!!! They are a nightmare!!! Can’t have friends over, gotta worry about them getting into my clothes, getting bites and itching all the time, lost most of my furniture, can’t go to work if they get into my clothes (If I do not have money for laundry…. being poor sucks!)…. GGGGRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, I have discovered that Vaseline is VERY good for relieving the itching. It takes a few minutes, but after that you will itch much less often. Also, the redness is not as harsh. It’s also very good for eczema, better than cortisone I find.

On the plus side, once I FINALLY get rid of these BASTARDS, I can get some new furniture, get my carpet proffessionally cleaned, etc…. I deeply hope I get rid of them this time so I can get on with my life, including my social life…. sigh. Wish me luck!!! I wish you all good luck as well.

My family and i are traveling and I thought it was all the cats at my mothers house, but then when we stayed at a motel the next day my 3 year old son woke up with about 6 red bumps on his back. They kind of look like small mosquito bites. I know ring worms are a possibility, with the cats and everything, but I have had a breakout with them and that’s not what they look like or feel like.
Then when we were cleaning up this morning I threw the top blanket on the bed and what did I find a brown recluse spider….I killed the spider and left in on the table in between the beds. The housekeepers never came by to clean this morning and now I am kind of confused on what to do. We did search for bed bugs too, because as I mentioned we looked through the beds to see if we could find anything.

I know its a brown recluse spider because i looked it up on the internet, however that is not what the bites look like. Both of my boys have bites on them, they are 3 years old and 1 year old. Me and my husband however do not have any bites.

I disagree. This is definitely not evidence of a problem. Bed Bugs are a hitchhiking bug. They do not just show up because cleanliness is lacking. They can show up because they were on somebody’s clothing. A hotels reputation for cleanliness should not be in jeopardy because of bed bugs for this reason.

I switched on the light and discovered over 20 bugs of varying sizes under the pillows, in the sheets and behind the bed. I could only confirm that they were in fact “bed bugs” after returning home and investigating on-line. The hotel owner even had the cheek to suggest I may have brought them with me in my luggage!

The skin reaction to the bites took over 24hrs to develop and now I can count over 40 “welts” on my shoulders and back. I’ve been using “hydrocortisone” for 4 days now, but with minimal effect. Any suggestions? When will they subside?

I’m also very afraid that I may have brought them home with me, although, on arrival, I washed all clothing at a high temperature and checked my small suitcase thoroughly. I’ve noticed more bites/welts and discomfort over the past 3 days since my return, but am hoping they were there already and have only become more noticable and are not as a result of any bugs brought back!!

It’s a PITA, but you need to circle each bite before you go to bed. That’s the only way you’ll know if you are recieving new bites. Good luck. We did get rid of our bedbugs (after months of hell) – but I suggest dealing with it soon before they take over. (Now, I’m worried we’re dealing with a NEW outbreak. I’m going to die if it is. Just jump off a building. I cannot deal with this again. Cannot.)

Help?
I’m doing a thourough sweep of my apartment after my sister’s discovery of an infestation at her house. So far, the most horrifying looking thing had been the inside of a forgotten slipper under the couch, which had tiny white things along the inside seams. Just now (as I continue to flip over and vacuum furniture), I found some kind of dessicated insect in a spider web under my bedroom bookshelf. It was in the company of a couple of dead ants and gnats and is a bit dusty so it’s hard to see articulated legs or anything. It does look plausibly similar to the photo of the hungry adult, in that it’s long & narrow. Could a spiderweb trap a bedbug??
I checked seams, moulding, screws light fixtures…& have not seen anything alarming in, under, or around our beds or the couch (excepting the slipper). I took down & apart the large mirror over the couch which had a little spot on it’s backing that smeared like charcoal. Nothing inside.
Is this the part where I just clean more & keep looking, or are any of these signs obviously alarming? Photos are confusing, and though it’s revolting, I’d appreciate a description of the tactile qualities (smeary? sticky? Hard? Stuck on serfaces or easily dislodged?) of poop/eggs etc. that would distinguish it from other household or insect debris (ie spider, termite, mite).
Thanks!

I just found out about the bedbug, I’m renting this house for 3 months now. The estimator shown me that there was the bug painted over the wall, proved that the bug were here before I moved in. I want to sued the landlord because I will have to buy a new bed, new mattress and new couch. The estimator were here 3 times already but still bugs!!! They’re schedule to come back for spray again but I don’t feel like living here anymore and I won’t take a risk bringing this furniture with me to the new place (even my clothes).
Since I have proved that the bugs were here, you think I would win, any comment?
Thanks!

We’ve found the bugs in one room and lived with the whole house upside down for a month while being professionally treated. Then I found the bugs in the same room again. Now there are no mattresses left to check. Is there another way to look for the buggers? I need to know it is bug free before purchasing mattresses again.

i’ve owned a rooming house for over 8 years never had a problem. This year I think we have bed bugs. We are only open 3 months out of the year, will the bed bugs die if the room are empty and closed up for 9 months or should I have them treated before I close up and winterize the house.

No, we’re told they can live up to 18 months without a blood meal. Treat them– and remember it can take multiple treatments spaced 10-14 days apart. A reputable bed bug k9 may help you confirm if the infestation is gone.

If you have additional questions or want to discuss this, please come to the forums:

i am actually looking for a spsific kind of bug that happened to “attack” me in my truck. i don’t know what it was, but it scared the bajeevers out of me. if you can respond, i can send pictures. thanks!
-Savanah-

This is my first time on this website…but have been dealing with bed bugs for over a year, even after relocating specifically to get away from them which to no surprised they followed. After so long with having to deal with these little demons i pretty much got it down to where i only see like one a week. Now that they are sorta been managed im going in for the kill and fumigating the place to get rid of them once and for all. I’m not expert but i can give a little advice to those who seek it like i was when they first showed. Your matress, you should clean it thoroughly and do the best you can, then go to walmart or any store that sells a plastic casing that wraps around the bed with a zipper to lock in the stragglers. you can get a new mattress if you want but they’re just going to reinfest it again. Buy the plastic casing, you wont regret it. If the base of your is wood, I say get rid of it and get a metal frame. Use double sided tape or petrolium jelly on the legs of your bed frame. You can also put the legs in glass jars with soapy water. IMPORTAN!!—-> keep your bed from touching the wall. I’ve done all this and i sleep like a baby every night cause of it. I still check my bed everynight though cause i dont trust them lol, but it seemed to do the trick. Now that your done with your sleeping situation take care of your house. Clean clean clean. I can’t say that enough, take one day and clean every single crack and crevis. Your not going to get rid of all the bugs doing this, but its good to do it. Now…get some sort of plaster and cover up everysingle crack and crevis u can find. You may also want to use moth balls and place them around the house. you can definately do some damage to them with that. DO NOT clutter your home. This can be a good time for you to finally get rid of all the crap you’ve been hording all these years lol. I also suggest you do some research on them to see what else you can possibly do. You dont have to live with bed bugs….they’re not paying rent. Be patient, research and keep your house clean and maybe one day you can get rid of them for GOOD. I know i will.

Bed bugs are treatable, and no one should be living with them one year after treatment began. Seeing any bed bugs is a sign of a serious problem; seeing them after a year is a sign that treatment has been ineffective.

We strongly advise that our readers get a professional treatment for bed bugs from a PCO who has experience treating them successfully. Not only can they get rid of bed bugs more quickly, but they also should be able to do so safely.

Self-treatment can not only be dangerous, it can also make your bed bug problems worse.

I am not sure what kind of fumigation you’re planning, but do not use bug bombs with bed bugs: it will spread them even more deeply.

I would also recommend an encasement tested to keep bed bugs in or out, and an not aware of a plastic one which has been tested. If bed bugs can get in and out of your encasement, this would mean they could keep appearing and feeding on you indefinitely, no matter whether you get them out of the floor, walls, etc.

I recently discovered that my apartment had a bed bug problem a couple of months after we moved in. I had bites all over and we discovered a bed bug on our couch. We’ve since thrown out our couch and hired a bed bug specialist to exterminate. The exterminator has come twice already. It was too hard living in our apartment out of sealed plastic bags, so my husband and I moved into my parents house temporarily. We were so careful not to bring anything with us, except our dry cleaned clothes straight from the cleaners. Earlier today, my mom noticed 8 bites on her leg. Her bites don’t itch. A few hours later, 6 more bites appeared on her leg. Do you think it’s bed bugs?

It very well could be. They are easily moved.
They could have survived dry cleaning (depending on how careful the DC was). Was it a “green” dry cleaner or was PERC used? We’re suspicious the new green DC methods may not kill bed bugs. And the degree of care the DC took is a BIG deal.

And you could have potentially moved them in anything. Your car, a bag, a purse.

(You could even have taken them to your parents before this trip, or could have brought them to your home from there–anything is possible.)

If she was just a bit itchy it could be imagined (a common reaction to being around someone who has had bed bugs!), but 8 “bites” that don’t itch is suspicious to me.

Hello everyone, And wow! after experiencing both myself as well as my fiancee bedbugs for the first time, I am completely exhausted in every direction we go to eradicate the problem. We live in a small urban area in PA called Berwick. My fiancee applied for and was granted section 8. She then moved into her apartment. It wasn’t but maybe a month before we had noticed the problem. Our Landlord, I’m not sure is being either helpful or doesn’t understand the severity of this situation. When he was first informed of the problem, he became very upset with my fiancee stating ” What have you done!!!” We were uncomfortably shocked.. Terminex, the pest control “PROFESSIONALS” have been to her apartment 5 times carrying around a little steam machine.
My fiancee had to show him around the apartment and what to spray and not spray. I’m confused I don’t think that he knows what he’s dealing with because, 4-5-6 months later the problem is still there. Later we had found out the upstairs tenants as well as the other 3 apartments are INFESTED!!! therefore relieving us from the burden of being accuses bedbug-bringers. We have to deal with a broken real estate company, Landlord, and Section 8 and she has paid rent all those months and they still require rent. We contacted Legal services just today to find out that there are legal issues etc. but said they don’t have the time to “Coach” us through our problem. I read much useful information on this site and am much thankful for all the knowledge each of you have taught me about these little demons. But I am at the point were we my fiancee and myself are emotionally, Physically, and financially exhausted. If it wasn’t for the building being an apartment complex I would treat it myself. Any Legal tips, advice, or direction through this depressing time would be greatly appreciated. And to everyone else out there going through this terrible crisis, remember never to give up.

If the PCO has visited 5 times and not solved the problem, there is a good chance that neighbors are also infested and that they just keep coming from an adjoining unit. All units above, below, and next to yours must be carefully inspected be an experienced pro, and treated if necessary.

Yes, they were probably there when you moved in (though getting them from a rental truck, for example, is not unheard of) and the neighbors probably have them too.

WE ALL can agree that bedbugs could do the world better without even exisiting. Since halfway through the summer, my house that seemed to be impossible to have anything like this, did. the main source was my older brother who most likely brought them on him and in his clothes after coming back from jersey city and we live in jersey from work. he deal with apartments with problems in the bed. lately this guy has been really dirty, slobby room and showering hasnt been his thing why idk. But in the summer he stated he was getting bit and iwas getting bit, but it was bugbites not bedbugs. after a few weeks his mattress showed a huge amount of the black spots and totally ripped everything off the bed and his clothes off the ground. vaccumed it and washed everything with soap and a sponge. Once that happened, he bunked in my CLEAN room next door and i slept in the guest which i usually did adjacent to both. halfway into october of him bunking up and putting plastic on his bed, he brought a couple over in my bed, which then shot complete anger and depression ontop of my other problems. abandoned this room for a bit, and saw one major black spot and that was it. until finally i saw a few of these bugs took care of them and that was that. been a while since then and they still are in here somehow. been washing he sheets everytime i found one and vaccumed them away. now the bigger problem. the beg. of this montht hte guest room had a small baby and 1 -2 right on top. PARANOIA! now my brother starts sleeping in his bed again, plastic covered mattress and sheets back on, must re-abandon my room after sleeping on it a few weeks ago every night with no MAJOR problem, though i found bugs a few days ago. the guest room brings me huge paranoia but where else do i have to go? parents room seems to be the only good place left? i meen i gotta get rid of these. They are now in my couches, in my room and one in the guest room whcih i brought in for a party and threw the first one out because big ones crept all out the corner. just 1- mins ago isaw a mini one and vaccumed every corner of the new couch form the guestrm and floor in my room (thin air like always). if it were me, id clean it all out, throw away everything and buy new stuff. these thigns ruined my life and mind and BODY, rooms, and prob. my clothes who knows. any househole major thigns i can do to drvie them out in an instant and go vaccum,alcohol, and splatting crazy or anything to kill them off inside? u guys seem to feel my pain, im 16 and the cleanest in my house and every1 keeps assuring me they die off like in a snap, um they dont. they can hide out and live for months and months with no saviour. they dont know CRAP and try to school me when ive looked into helpful sites like this.

I just heard that someone down the hall from me in my apartment complex has bedbugs! He’s a new tenant, I think he moved here September, and we’ve already had all kinds of trouble with him (smoking inside, being generally creepy)! It’s a heritage building so there are cracks in the walls and where plumbing and heating pipes pass through, but there were no problems before now.
I’m so worried now that they’re in my suite! My neighbor who’s beside the guy who brought them in is going to have an inspection, and I guess I’m next. This is an expensive building to live in, so I thought I would be safer than if I was in a welfare block!
Is there anything I can do to prevent them from getting in, or is it likely I already have them? My boyfriend’s an entomologist (this isn’t really his thing though) but I have to wait until tomorrow for him to come over. I’ll check out the site and maybe look for them since I don’t know what to look for, but I’m so grossed out. If they just treat that guy’s apartment, will they end up spreading to mine?
The hallway has carpet but my suite doesn’t; if he drags his stuff down the hall could I get them from the carpet?
Thanks for having this website. Sorry if I’m all over the place… I really just heard a minute ago and it’s freaking me out a bit.

I am SO sick of bedbugs, but they are indeed easy to get rid of and can be introduced at any time by visitors, overseas trips, etc. It also makes it bad when a resident doesn’t tell anyone they have them out of embarrassment. However tenants should bear the entire cost and responsibility of exterminating those little things. As a landlord, try exterminating an entire building of 300+ units and getting cooperation from tenants to take responsibility is very difficult. In my hometown, an entire building of derelict freeloading tenants near our university expect the government to cut the cost and not take any responsibility?
The best landlords can do is to adopt policies re: move-ins/outs, i.e. requiring an extermination certificate for new move-ins, and requiring wrapping of mattresses and other furniture for move-outs, no second hand furniture, etc.

will some one please give me some advice it is driving me insane ,i have been getting bit now for about 2 months. to begin with it was just the odd one and then it became 10 and then even more i went to the doctors because had no idea what it was and they said it looked like bed bug bites . so that was it straight away i cleared my whole room of clutter and cleaned every where using bleach .but after reading some of the stuff on here i rang pest control any way and they couldnt fingd any evidence but because the doctor said it looked like bed bug bites he sprayed every where any way.I didnt get bit for 2 weeks then that was it about 10 bites and also my daughter in another room had bites to. at this stage i just wanted to run away it is horrible to go through this . i checked our beds for any evidence of them and found some orangy rusty coloured spots around the bed and on my pillow case. Can the spots of blood be this colour ? i also rand the pso and he had another look and again found nothing and said that the rusty spots were nothing so he said he didnt think we had then and to go back to the doctors. and of course the doctor said again they were bites.. ( aaaaaahhhhh )now i just wanna cry!!! i told the so and he said to observe the situation and get back to him! i was then bit about a week later and then my daughter was bit a week after that. i will just say though i have been going to bed with everything tucked in so they would be finding it hard to bite me lol but i then found a klittle red like bug and kpt it for the pso on tape and he said it wasnt a bed bug so i am still no niether to finding the truth could he be wrong ? is it bed bugs ? what else could it be ? and i found more rusty coloured spots HELP ME PLEASE !!!!!

Not that I’m recommending it or anything, but you can go to Paris Pharmacy and buy a bottle of DDT for about $1.50; or used to be able to. They poured that stuff over millions in WWII and I haven’t seen too many old people with 5 eyes and 2 heads.

Are you writing from an obscure non-developed nation, or perhaps from Europe or the US circa 1955?

DDT is no longer readily available, not in Europe or the States. And from the way bed bugs are spiralling out of control around the world, I suspect it is not available this easily in most countries, if any.

Besides, bed bugs apparently developed resistance to it in time. Sorry, but if it were this easy, why would I be wasting my time on this website?!?

Reactions to bed bug bites vary from unnoticeable to annoying, very annoying, and extremely uncomfortable. We’ve heard that in some cases, it can even be life-threatening (if someone has a severe allergic reaction). We have heard of several such cases.

Some people need or want to take an antihistamine, and I recommend you consult your doctor if you feel uncomfortable and feel you might need help.

I am not a health professional but if you feel any swelling, or have trouble breathing or otherwise feel unwell, it is probably a good idea to see a doctor right away and tell them you think you are having an allergic reaction to bed bug bites.

The other important thing is to get proper and quick treatment of your home from someone who has lots of experience getting rid of bed bugs.

I just moved to France and have been in my apartment for 3 months. My apartment is old but in really good shape. I cleaned for days before I settled in. The one thing is that the matress was already there. It looked so new, really great mattress!

About 5-6weeks ago, I was bitten by something, just once, it was an itchy bite, almost like a mosquito. I didn’t really worry about it.

I think maybe once or twice more, I’ve been a little itchy in bed. But never had any marks or anything. Lastnight though, I kept feeling things on my legs. I had to keep moving. I checked for bites but I don’t have any but I do feel itchy from time to time (maybe I’m paranoid).

That’s what brought me here to this website. I cleaned my whole room (I sleep in a mezzaine, old wooden beams etc, plenty of hiding places). I checked the seams of the mattres and found a dead bed bug, also found small bits of skin at below the front of the bed. I checked everywhere, and I can’t find anymore.

So I have a few questions, if anyone could help me out I would be so grateful.

1. Wouldn’t I be bitten a lot, like every night? Is a five/six week gap normal for bed bugs?

2. Could the bed bug I found have been there from ages ago?

3. And if I do have bed bugs, will I ever see them? (Tonight, I’m keeping a torch beside me!)

1. Wouldn’t I be bitten a lot, like every night? Is a five/six week gap normal for bed bugs?

You would be bitten about once a week by each bed bug living in your home. (For the sake of others reading this, bed bugs sometimes bite a few times in a row or triangle, representing one attempt at feeding.)

A bed bug would not go 5-6 weeks without feeding unless it was prevented from doing so. For example, if it was sealed in a bag and then released, or if it was staying in a home with nobody in it.

However, one factor you are not recognizing is that bed bug bite reactions vary. Many people do not react. I assume others react a little or sometimes. While others react very strongly.

If you reacted less than some people, or only sometimes, it is possible you were bitten more often and do not know it.

2. Could the bed bug I found have been there from ages ago?

Yes, but it would not explain your bites.

If you found cast skins, they are signs too.

3. And if I do have bed bugs, will I ever see them? (Tonight, I’m keeping a torch beside me!)

Seeing even one is unusual — they hide very well. And not just in beds, but in the home’s structure. I would tell the landlord and seek treatment. Save any signs you find.

If you need more advice or want to discuss this, please come to the forums:

Okay this is my first ever dealing with bedbugs and I must say it’s grossing me out completely. Where on earth do they come from? How do they manifest and how on earth do we get rid of them all? Thankfully or rather unfortunately I am having a severe allergic reaction to the bites from these little suckers and that is how we became aware of the fact that there were bugs or something in our bed. Please help us get rid of this pesty pests before it’s too late. thank you.

They are insects which spread easily. You may have picked them up somewhere (transportation, hotel, job, school, hospital, day care?) or they may have walked over to you from neighbors if you are in an attached home (apartment or row house, for example). Someone may have visited and brought them in, also.

You need an experienced professional to help you get rid of them. Our FAQs explain the basics (there’s one on choosing a Pest Control Operator, and another on whether landlords are responsible for treatment).

just got a bedbug problem it’s really hard to track down how it started since I have been living in the apartment for a little over 2 years with no issues with bedbugs now starting about 4 weeks ago I have been waking up with bite marks maybe 2 or 3 they itch like crazy…

My job requires me that I have to be up around 1Am or so I get up and check the bed but I never see anything.. however this morning my mother got out of bed and saw one running away and managed to kill it leaving a stain.. as you know she is freaking out about it.. i checked my bed but I don’t see any signs of them..

she has been spraying bug spray on the beds which I told her not to do because I need to sleep on them.. to prevent from getting so many bites on my legs I will sleep in long johns so they tend to bite on my neck or my wrists.

Seeing even ONE bed bug is unusual and you need immediate help from a professional who really knows their stuff.

You could have gotten them in at least two ways:

1. A neighbor had them and they walked into your unit.

2. You or a family member or a visitor brought them in on your clothing or in your stuff. (They can easily be picked up at a job, school, hospital, hotel, or public transportation, to name only a few common scenarios.)

After you read the FAQs, please come to the forums with any additional questions or for support.

I moved into an apartment a few months ago on a Saturday and Saturday night had to leave the apartment because we were bitten by bedbugs. Good news is that they cannot accuse me of bringing them in, as they were EVERYWHERE. Bad news is that I lost all of my things. The apartment complex and their pest control person (Home Paramount) assure me that my things are okay to move to the new apartment, minus the mattresses. I talked to two additional pest control guys and they said that I shouldn’t take ANYTHING. My tv’s, children’s toys, etc. are all gone. The apartment complex refuses to pay and we are now in a lawsuit, but I am in a new apartment and trying to rebuild my life slowly. I am a single mom with 3 kids and can’t afford to have this happen again. The apartment complex surprisingly enough will not give me a disclaimer if I transfer them to the new apartment, so it would be up to me to pay for treatments. Basically when I go to court, their guy will say that the stuff is fine and mine will say that it isn’t. What do you suggest about the electronics, etc.? My things were in the apartment for about a month before they moved it all to a storage facility. Thanks for your input, and I would appreciate any information that you can give to me to help me in my search to regain my sanity and the lives of my kids.

my husband hunts in south texas.They sleep in travel trailers that are broken in to by people crossing the border and he looks like he has been bitten by bed bugs. He thinks that just because they spray that the bugs are gone and he hasn’t brought them home.I hope we don’t get them.tell me what to do.
He also brought home seed ticks.we are battleing them to
maddening in texas

I would think that for both the ticks and the bed bugs, you need a knowledgeable professional to come in, diagnose the problem(s) and get rid of them. Try and find someone with experience of getting rid of bed bugs. Thermal or vikane treatments may be good options, as well as traditional sprays.

And if he is getting bed bugs from where he stays, he will have to stop staying there unless their problem can be eliminated completely. Otherwise you will probably keep getting bed bugs.

I have never seen a bed bug up until recently. I purchased new beds for my children and about a month after I had the new(what I thought was new) matteress my daughter saw a bug while changing her sheets. As I looked around the mattres I saw more. I had called the company where I purchased the mattres from and explained the situation to them and thats when I found out that it was a reconditioned mattress. They did switch it out for me, but then I got it again on my sons mattress and when I told them that I was having the same problem again he wanted to see the bugs (which I put in a ziploc bag). I took the squished bugs and the cast skins to him and he said that I was full of s**t in my face and told me to get out of the store. So basically now Im stuck with bed bugs for the first time ever. I put a mattress cover over both of the beds but I am scared that they are going to bite my children. They haven’t bitten them yet. I don’t know what to do. Please help if any advice. I recommened to ANYONE who is buying new mattresses to make sure that they are not reconditioned. I never again will make that mistake. But then again I will not be shopping at CAROLINA FURNITURE in HUDSON, FLORIDA again.

Sorry for your troubles. Did you have the bed bugs identified by a pest control operator or entomologist? Are you certain they are bed bugs? (That’s obviously essential.)

It is possible that the first bed had bed bugs and the second didn’t come with them. Once you have them in your home, you have them. Though the used mattress is a likely conduit, they could have originated in the delivery truck as well. Since old and new mattresses mingle in there, “new” doesn’t necessarily protect you.

You might want to talk to a lawyer. You may be able to at least recoup the cost of your mattresses and ridding your home of bed bugs. (I’m not a lawyer.)

The management of my building informed me they needed to have an exterminator come in and do some precautionary bedbug treatment, because one of my neighbors has them. They wouldn’t tell me who, but I think it’s above , because I heard all this furniture moving right before the exterminator came to treat my apartment.

He used a powder and put it in all the outlets of the apartment. (Except the bathroom and kitchen for some reason.) He said that my neighbor no longer has them.

After he left, I started researching bed bugs and I’m freaking out! I keep reading if your neighbor has them then you will. And, they can not get rid of in one treatment, in which the exterminator claimed he did. (I’m assuming it was one treatment, because he did all of our apartments at the same time.)

What do I do? Are the outlets the only way they can enter from above? How about the heaters? Every night I’ve been putting basil and lavender oil around my front door. Do I call my own exterminator in? Should I buy some treatment and put it around the apartment? I read the reviews for the DE and people said it was ineffective? What’s the best bed bug killer? My boyfriend thinks I’ve gone crazy. HELP!!!

Hi. We were at a hotel about 3 or 4 weeks ago (not a dive, a decent place from a chain), and after bringing the kids to the dr. for a rash and calling the hotel, we learned we have bed-bugs. The hotel management had already discovered the problem from another complaint, and said their insurance co. will contact us. How much will they likely do? We just forked out $900 to Terminex who will come in 2 days. I missed 2 days of work this week because the school nurse said to keep the kids home until the problem is resolved. Terminex said to bag up all our clothes and bedding and wash and dry on hot at the laundry mat. Will fumigating and washing clothes be enough? Should we buy new mattresses? How much should we expect the insurance company to help? What can we do about coats and delicate items we can’t wash on hot? If we leave them in the garage (below freezing in NH this week) will that kill the bugs? I haven’t seen any, but my kids and I have itchy spots and the hotel confirmed that our room had bugs at the time of our stay. Also, is it really safe to sleep at home a few hours after its fumigated? My little one has asthma. We want to do whatever it takes to get rid of this problem once and for all. Thanks for any help/advice.

Sorry you are going through this Becky. Good news is that you caught it earlier than many and the hotel is offering some help in the costs. Go to the FAQ’s section on this site for it has detailed answers to many if not all of your questions thus far. (laundry, treatment options, fumigation vs traditional treatment questions etc..)
As for the little one, one of my twins has asthma and he held up fine through many treatments. At the time, my twins were not even a year old. I would ask the PCO (exterminator) and maybe the pediatrician for concerns you have there. Reading up on the FAQ’s and getting very familiar with them is key. If there are questions that you have after that, then go to the forums where there are some professionals as well as fellow sufferers that may be able to help.

Hi, I woke up the other night with little red bumps on my chest and upper arms, and torso they itch horribly and seem to have spread. However, my husband who sleeps almost on top of me every night has nothing on him! Are bedbugs “selective” feeders, or is it something else? I hope it’s not bedbugs because they sound almost impossible to get rid of!

itchynwitchy – We’ve had bed bugs for at least a month but just confirmed 100% last week. For the past month I’ve been getting all the bites and my hubby has shown no signs at all. A PCO we spoke with told us that some people have no reactions to the bites so your hubby might be getting bitten and just not showing it. This is the part that finally freaked my hubby out and now he’s having trouble sleeping too.

I was bite by bed bug few days ago from my friend’s appartment. I never know this stuff before. It was very itching, half my body was bite. I saw my doctor and take pill and use cream, now its not itching, but the affect area still has some color, i hope my skin will become good again. Does anybody have good suggestion about remove the deep color after treatment?

Left for Atlanta, Georgia on Jan 31, 09 @ 12:25pm from Bloomington, IL via airplane. Stayed at a friend’s house for two nights. Flew back on Feb 2, 09 @ 9:50pm. Feb 4 I noticed red wheals on my butt (I am a medical skin care therapist) and being from the south, I know what mosquito and flea bites look like, I’ve had my share. These were located on my butt in a 3 bite pattern. After extended internet research, the bites look identical to the bb bites online! I thought bed bugs were a myth!!!! I told my friend, who had their home inspected to find nothing! Could I have been bitten on airplane or at airport??? (Returning flight was at night) So far, I haven’t seen any new bites and it’s been 11 days since returning flight. Am I safe?

Yes– you could have been bitten on a plane, in a waiting room chair, in a bar or restaurant, in a taxi or bus. Bed bugs do not ONLY bite at night.

On the other hand, your friend may have a small infestation and it’s harder than you think for human inspectors to detect bed bugs, esp. with small infestations. She may not react to bites, many don’t. So she should remain vigilant.

You may have brought home bed bugs, but no bites in 11 days is a very good sign. Stay alert — since you react to bites, you should notice more. Hopefully there won’t be any!

I assume it’s too late to take precautions with clothing and luggage, but next time, you’d want to do that too.

Natalie– Yes! Bats can have bat bugs feeding off them where they nest. When the bat is gone, bat bugs bite people. They are very closely related to bed bugs and an untrained eye would mistake them for one another.

Your friends need to make sure their attic is cleared of bats and that no bat bugs are present there.

I am having such trouble with these bed bugs!!! I live with my boyfriend and we havn’t had this problem until a couple months ago. Now, I am planning to move into my own place. I am worried these bugs will follow me to my new apartment. How can I prevent the bed bugs from following me there? They seem to only bite my arms around my elbows, on my knees, and on my feet. I don’t want to carry these with me. They are annoying and gross and I’m tired of explaining to my co-workers that the red spots all over my arms are not scabies. That’s irritating and the bed bugs make me want to rip my skin off lol any insight is welcomed. Thank you!

When I was 6 months pregnant bedbugs became a major problem for my family. We became infested because the bugs came from a neighboring apartment that connects to my room and to the rest of the house. Terminex came in and would only steam the effected areas because my landlord refuse to put my husband and I in a motel. Soon after the steaming the bugs returned (they must have laid dormant). We still have the bugs and now our landlord will only allow one more spraying. Since my daughter was born in October they have done the pesticides twice. Health inspectors insist this bug thing is all in our heads since they come during ther day and don’t thoroughly inspect the whole apartment, which is pretty good size. The landlord is getting pretty fed up with just us in a 4 family complex. The family in the adjoining apartment have since moved and there is another family that now lives there and they won’t allow an inspector to come in. We don’t know what to do about this anymore and our lives were stressful to begin with. All together we have spent over $3,000 since June just for cleaning the bedding. Please help!

I am not a pest professional and don’t really know how to advise you. There may be local laws which require landlords to get rid of bed bugs (not just treat twice), and you need to be sure you know what the law is (not just what the landlord is telling you).

There are ways of safely getting rid of them when you are pregnant, but steam can require more extensive and repeated treatments. Thermal is expensive and probably not on your landlord’s radar for this reason.

Hi Linda — no. I did not live there. But many thousands of people in New York have bed bugs. Make sure you receive follow up treatments.

PCOs tell us you should be getting attention from the pest control operator in about 2 weeks after the first visit. Not two years later!

Also, your landlord needs to have every apartment that touches yours above, below, all sides inspected by a professional and treated if needed. Unforunately this is not the law in NYC, but it is the only way to make sure they do not come back. There’s a good chance someone else in the building has them too.

i went to a friends house in utah stayed for about a week in their guest bed. before i left i had no signs of bedbugs and for my entire stay. 2 days after i got back i started to notice my self itching. so myquestion is how long does it take for symptoms to develop? is it possible that my room was infested while i was away? after they bite you where do they go? other then the bites and itching what effects are there? how do i know if i carried them back to idaho with me?

DDT was banned because the small birds would eat the insects that had been feeding on crops sprayed with DDT, then naturally larger birds would eat the smaller birds.The larger birds would get second hand poisoning and start to become ill and die. Like the Paregrin Falcon.

okay still not sure. but i do have a question. are they able to just travel right through layers of material very quickly. first i wrapped my mattress in plastic, and always put layers of sheets on , and then i just got some of that eggshell foam type stuff. where are they living ? where do i look for them? in the creaseas of the matress ? ( and i have a futon mattres that has a black almost velvet casing

You can start a new conversation (thread) there and people will respond to you.

The short answer is they will crawl into anything, and hide anywhere they can. If the mattress has crevices, that’s a likely place. If there’s a tiny gap in the futon cover, they may crawl into it. You have to think like a small flat insect that wants to hide.

All I can say (with the deepest graditude) is thank you for this site. Me and my roommates have been dealing with bedbugs for the past couple of months now, not knowing what they were. Well, now we (or rather I, at the moment) know. Thank you again. MUAH!

Well goddamn. I had suspected that we had bedbugs for a while now, but never experienced any, and only ever had what might have been a bedbug bite every once in a while.

Then, as I watch an episode of Dirty Jobs while eating an orange, I feel a sharp pain on the palm of my hand. I look, and there’s a tiny bug on it, sitting there. I grab a flashlight and watch it closer, and it leans down and takes another bite of my hand, equally painful. Thanks to your high resolution bedbug identification chart, I was easily able to identify it as the bottom young one.

The good news is that I identified it, the bad news is that it confirmed my worst fears.

I am about to have a nervous breakdown from bed bugs in my apt. The housing authority only sprays and still with that they come from other apts and I can’t afford to move. I have ecemza and I am so upset and nervous all the time. I am a 62 year old woman who lives alone without family to help. I spray, I put everything in plastic bags, I did everything I could. Still these creatures invade and nothing is being done. Can anyone tell me what to do?

If the housing authority does not have adjacent/attached units searched and treated if necessary, they will keep coming.

Since things are not getting any better, you might consider calling a local news station (who can shine light on the issue) or your elected local official (who can sometimes help shine light on an issue or expedite things with the authorities who should be dealing with this).

*******SOLUTION******
all of you changing mattresses and reading to stupid advices on this web site etc are wasting your time!! I found a solution the next day I was bitten. I captured one and experimented and found out that they are unable to climb slippery surfaces. I wrapped up my mattress around with a transparent tape (several levels) and since then haven’t been bitten a single time. or if you have a bed frame with legs, clean your mattress and box spring completely and vacuum first and then just wrap the legs of the bed frame only. it takes very little tape and they no longer will be able to climb up on you. Take care, Alex.

I will ignore your rudeness, and for the sake of readers, will respond to your suggestion:

If bed bugs are living anywhere in the room besides the mattress, wrapping tape around your mattress will not keep bed bugs from biting you elsewhere in your home.
If bed bugs are living in or on the mattress or bed frame, wrapping tape around the mattress will not do anything to prevent bed bugs biting you in bed.

It’s possible you had a bed bug and caught it and that ended your bites. Most people don’t have just one, and see it, and catch it, but who knows.

However, I would advise others to be wary of your advice.

Believe me, if it were this easy, I would share the good news with everyone. We have nothing to gain by telling people bed bugs are hard to get rid of. We know it is hard from the experience of thousands of site visitors.

I’m sure this is somewhere on the page but i have a horrible bug phobia and looking at the pictures doesn’t help.. pretty sure they’ve been in my house (my bed) for a while.. i m talking at least 6 months to a year, except i only get a bite here n there (maybe one per 2 months) or sometimes a bunch in 1 night and then nothing for 2 months. Never had the luck of coming face to face with 1, never looked them up so didn’t really know what they looked like but when I saw it that was the 1st thing i thought of, tonight was the 1st time. I came home, sat on my bed and there is was crawling around on my sheet like he owns it. As you can imagine I freaked out but i squished it. Obviously that wasn’t the last of them. My question is how do I handle this? do the ‘bug bombs’ usually work? Someone told me no so i m curious as to how aggressively i should go about getting rid of these nasty creatures. I have friends who’s houses i sleep at from time to time but no bites for them so i’m assuming i didn’t bring them from their home. I examined my life and can’t figure out where they came from, is it possible they came from outdoors?

we had a problem last year in our apartment with bed bugs. i had no idea what was biting my then 3 year old daughter every night, and i could not find anything anywhere in the room and assumed it was spiders because the bite marks left such large welts on her. (she has exzema and very sensitive skin) i finally called the health department when we found the bugs hanging out around the ceiling molding. he said that it didn’t appear we had an “obvious” problem! 5 bugs in one day! and not a problem. but he did give us some very helpful extermination measures. our management took 3 and a half months from our first complaint to get a professional exterminator in to treat, and the landlord told me to just “hang tight” and wait. (wait while the bugs take over our lives i guess!) anyway, we took all the kids stuffed animals to the laundrymat and dried them on high heat for 45 minutes, washed and dried the bedding on high heat, vaccuumed the carpet like crazy with TWO fresh new bags, and the thing that really helped was spray everything down with rubbing alcohol! we sprayed the ceilings, corners, bedframes, dressers, and saturated the edging of the carpets in dollar store rubbing alcohol. we kept most of the stuffed anmilas out on the balcony tied up in clean trash bags while we treated, repeated the vaccuuming and sheet washing every week (nearly) and sprayed at least once a week, though not as thoroughly as that first time. with 8 weeks of home treatment, our problem was gone! by the time the professionals came 3 months later, the guy took over an hour to thoroughly examine and spray the entire apartment top to bottom and couldn’t find ANY evidence at all! he told us to keep up the good work and he would let the landlord know that our unit was (potentially, not legally beacuse they only did one treatment) “clear”. we have only seen one or two since, always an adult, and always after we’ve had the windows opened… the problem is still around the complex very badly. but, what i’m trying to say, is if you’re waiting for someone to treat or deciding if you actually have a problem, try spraying ubbing alcohol. it really worked for us when we combined it with the other measures. it apparently dries up the eggs, and i know (from direct testing) that it kills the live ones. good luck everybody!

hello, im not sure if i have bed bug bites or flea bites but on my lower legs i have red bites they are quite large i have never seen one but on my sheet i think i have a blood stain but i cant be sure it could be my make-up or something any help please thank you x

I’m wondering if we have bed bugs? Every once in a while one of my kids wakes up with several bites. Then it doesn’t happen again for months. Several years ago my son woke up with 10-15 bites on his face and neck but it hasn’t happened to him since. More recently my daughter has awoke with bites on her arms and chest but this has only happened twice and in 2-3 month intervals. What else could be biting them? Thanks for you help.

Hi, I just discovered bed bugs two nights ago and just made the connection 10 minutes ago as to what they were. I know you’ve said it’s rare, but I awoke in the middle of the night from the biting & found them all over – feels like a mosquito bite. I’m an extremely light sleeper, which might be why I feel them.

They’ve probably only been in my house for about 2 weeks, give or take. I’ll be calling the exterminator first thing tomorrow. My biggest fear is how quickly they might be able to spread. Do you have any insight on that?

Also, I do a lot of traveling and also stay at my boyfriend’s house every few days. I absolutely do not want to bring these to him. Any recommendations on how to make sure they don’t tag along on clothes, bags, etc.?

A couple of weeks ago I noticed that my son had some bug bites on his arms, and at first I thought mosquito bites and then I found a bug in his bed.I only found the one and I check everyday, I have looked up bedbugs and seen the pictures but it doesn’t look the same.But one of the tenants 2 buildings down from me was infested with them.And my son keeps getting the bites,but they don’t itch him and half the time he don’t notice untill I start checking.I don’t know what to do I am getting pretty parinoid about it.I have been spraying 91% alcohol all over to try to keep them away but is there anything else I can do?Thanks for any help.

91% alcohol is only a contact killer — it kills bed bugs sprayed directly. If you do not even know if you have them, it is likely not doing anything to help. Even if you do have them, you’d have to spray them directly, and you would see them.

Although they may not have migrated from two buildings away, they are in your neighborhood, which means someone in your building might have them, someone might have brought them to school or your son might have been bitten at a friend’s home (IF his bites are from bed bugs).

It is hard to see bed bugs or find a sample. You could have your home inspected by a knowledgeable Pro with lots of bed bug experience. Keep in mind others in the family may not react to bites. Your son is not necessarily the only one being bitten.

If the bug sample you have might be a bed bug, you could send it away for identification or ask a local PCO to identify it. Keep in mind, finding other bugs does not mean you do not have bed bugs.

i still don’t know if i have bed bugs but i have been getting bit for about 2 weeks now. i have since found 2 differant bugs, one on my bed, you could see it’s blood through the skin, very tiny about the size of a small gnat. the second i found when cleaning out the room i’ve been getting bit in,it was on the bottom of the wall round brown the size of a big flea and it looks like it has wings. i have thrown out the bed already but don’t want to put the new one in untill i know if i have them or not this room is the only area of the house and i’m the only one getting bit i have looked for all the signs i checked the edges of the floor boards walls ceilings pulled out drawer lifted the edges of the carpet examined the old be can’t find anything other than those two bugs so how do i know if it’s safe to bring the new bed in?

Keep in mind that it can be very difficult to detect bed bugs, especially in the early stages of an infestation. A very experienced professional who knows what they are looking for may take 2 or 3 hours to meticulously search a home for bed bugs.

We cannot say if you have bed bugs or not. I recommend carefully encasing your new mattress in an encasement which is designed and tested to keep bed bugs out. Make sure you take care in putting it on, since they do rip (especially if they encounter sharp edges on a frame or box spring, which should be carefully taped where sharp bits are exposed).

If you encounter more bugs, try and trap them in a pill jar to have them identified. And please do not discard anything else — unless your problem is identified for certain. (Even then, you may not need to toss anything out).

i was just curious i set up the new bed i only had enough money for one mattress cover at the time so my box spring isn’t covered only the mattress is, i plan to buy another one for the box spring next week so any bugs are onit by then when i put it on they will be trapped and eventually die right? and also it’s been about 2 nights back in my room with no bites if i do have bed bugs about how long does it take for them to get on the new bed and start biting again? and after how long of them not coming back should i asume they are gone or were never an issue?

If the new encasement is used properly AND is designed and tested to keep bed bugs in or out AND it is not ripped, it should trap them and they should die.

Keep in mind an encasement will not solve your problem. If you have bed bugs in other parts of the room or on other pieces of furniture or other stuff, they can still bite you. They can crawl onto anything (such as a new bed) any time.

Each individual bed bug will bite about once a week. IF you reacted to bed bug bites before, then if you go a month without any, you probably are bed bug free.

(This is assuming you had one or maybe not bed bugs at all. If someone had actual treatment to eliminate a known case of bed bugs, I would wait longer; Entomologist Rick Cooper suggests 55 days which seems like a nice span of time — assuming one reacts to bites.)

Marie, please click here if you want to continue the discussion. You can post a message in our forums and will get many responses in addition to mine.

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